Prejuvenation Procedures Keep You Ahead of the Aging Curve

When you think about the age range of patients interested in cosmetic procedures to improve appearance, what comes to mind? If you picture either Baby Boomers (those born between 1944 and 1964) or Generation Xers (those born between 1965 and 1982), you are partially correct. Both Boomers and Xers make up the majority of people choosing to undergo some type of cosmetic procedure.

However, there has been a dramatic jump among Millennials (those born between 1983 and 1996) in terms of undergoing cosmetic procedures. According to a recent survey from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), 72 percent of its physician members reported an increase from 2017 to 2018 in younger, Millennial-age patients requesting cosmetic procedures. This overall trend is known as prejuvenation, undergoing cosmetic procedures to prevent signs of aging before they have a chance to even become apparent.

This trend also reflects what the surgeons at Jefferson Plastic Surgery have seen within our practice. Read further to explore some of the common prejuvenation procedures that our patients request to preserve their youthful appearance.

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers help fill out areas on the face that have lost volume to minimize the appearance of fine lines or wrinkles, such as creases around the outer corners of the mouth and nose or pursed lines around the lips.

Some dermal fillers can also be injected directly into the lips to restore fullness. They work by replacing collagen, a protein that your body produces to keep your skin firm and full. Your body will lose collagen as a natural result of aging, but also due to excessive sun exposure or smoking. Many of our younger patients request dermal fillers for prejuvenation specifically due to exposure to tobacco smoke or ultraviolet A (UVA) rays from the sun, which can accelerate the aging process.

Chemical Peels

Many stressors of your daily life and the modern world can make your facial skin appear dull and lifeless. Lack of sleep, a poor appetite, and environmental conditions can make you appear older than you actually are. This is why we may recommend a chemical peel procedure to patients.

A chemical peel procedure uses a mildly acidic mixture applied to your face to remove the top layer of skin cells, revealing younger, smoother skin underneath. Not only will it remove dead skin cells, but it can also remove blemishes, sun spots, and small acne scars. This procedure can be an excellent choice for younger patients who want to minimize such facial imperfections sooner, rather than later.

Botox

Botox injections work similarly to dermal fillers, in that they also minimize the appearance of wrinkles on the face. Botox is injected into the facial muscles, often around the brows and forehead to reduce frown and worry lines.

The effects from Botox injections will last about three to four months. Many of our younger patients request Botox treatment as a means to stave off development of worry or frown lines later in life.

Many people think of cosmetic procedures as a way of recapturing youth. Prejuvenation instead takes the approach that you should start working on preserving your youthfulness now so that you won’t need to recapture it later.